Man Pleads Guilty to Misdemeanors in Horse Abuse Case

William Zobel received two years of unsupervised probation under the plea agreement entered on Monday in Greene County Circuit Court. But failure to meet the requirements of the deal could land him in jail. Zobel must also drop all claims of ownership to the nearly 125 horses that were seized from his ranch in January of this year. Many of the horses were sick, and several others were dead. The deal also bars Zobel from owning animals or engaging in animal breeding. The Humane Society of Missouri and Carthage Humane Society have been caring for most of the seized horses. Many have already been adopted.